Eastern Sigillata A in Italy A socio-economic Evaluation

Abstract

This paper takes a fresh look at the distribution of eastern sigillata A in Italy. The attested pattern is explained against the contemporary political, socio-economic and cultural background of the growing impact of Rome in the eastern Mediterranean. Especially in its early stages, the trade in eastern sigillata A formed part of wider patterns of dialectic exchange. In this way, the paper illustrates how the consumption of household artefacts could reflect and interact with wider processes, elevating eastern sigillata A to the status of desirable surrogate. Finally, a possible association with Rhosica vasa is suggested.*